Coming Home
by thelastingsacrifice
Summary: With the fierce wind and freshly falling snow, any prints he had made were quickly swept away. It was as if he had never existed: finding him would be impossible. And in this weather, even nations could fall victim to the cold.     Especially ex-nations.
1. Part One

Oh yes, this was living the good life. Stretched out (or rather sprawled out) on the living room sofa, the albino took another massive bite of pasta, savoring the unique flavors only Feli seemed to be able to put into it. Giving a content sound, the albino's expression flickered up into a smirk, his red eyes gleaming with obvious amusement. West had been too busy to entertain him, something that Gilbert found perfectly acceptable. When West was busy, it meant Feli was free. And when Feli was free, Gilbert found he could get the other man to do whatever he wanted him to do. It was perfect.

"Hm, this isn't bad," He told the bouncing red head beside him, "It could really use a beer though." A mock serious expression replaced the smirk Gilbert had been wearing moments ago, and he stared mournfully at the fridge, before looking back to Feli, and then back at his food.

"Of course, I'll go get one for you! I'm sorry! I should have thought about that earlier! Don't get up, just sit here and relax! I messed up; I'm sorry, please let me keep cooking for you!" Feli exclaimed, speaking too fast for Gilbert to completely follow what he was saying. That was one of the things he really didn't care about when it came to the Italian, he thought with a huff, though as he watched the flustered man race back into the kitchen, he supposed he could see why West liked him.

Liking someone was so not awesome though. Making you vulnerable to someone in that manner, that was hardly a sign of strength! Scoffing to himself, Gilbert rolled his brilliant eyes, brushing his silky white hair from his eyes. Loving someone was such a weak thing, and he had never understood it: some part of him guessed he never would. Not that it mattered, no, he was awesome enough on his own, and he wasn't going to share it with anyone! He didn't need to! What was he doing thinking these stupid thoughts? He had had the Italian waiting on him all day, today should have been an excellent day! Not everyone could say they had someone who was happy to serve you in any manner possible! Even West didn't understand what he had here!  
>Giving a slight chuckle, Gilbert shook his head as he thought about poor West. His younger brother was so hopeless sometimes; he never took advantage of what the Italian would do. All West ever did was paperwork, and that wasn't going to bring him much pleasure. Well, if he was in to that sort of thing…kinky.<p>

"Bruder, das ist genug!" West suddenly snapped—speak of the (kinky) devil! Lazily cracking his eyes open, Gilbert flashed him an innocent smile, taking the last bite of his pasta. Damn, where was Feli with that beer? It shouldn't be taking this long! West looked pretty pissed about something, Gilbert thought with a sigh. He might have to have Feli go back and get another beer. Oh, he hated sharing.

"Aw, don't look so angry West!" Gilbert taunted, winking at the younger sibling. "I'll be a good person, since I'm just that awesome, and I'll share him with you!" Smirking widely now, Gilbert pushed himself up so he was actually sitting on the couch, instead of sprawling out on it. Leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, he gave a low chuckle. "After all West, you seem pretty uptight. I think we both know who really needs the good sex," winking again, he looked to the kitchen while West blushed furiously. "Feli! I'm getting parched over here," he yelled, making a disgruntled expression.

"N-nein Bruder. Get up off your lazy ass and go get it yourself," Ludwig growled after being able to get the power of speech back. His blue eyes were cold, not even the faintest spark of amusement could be seen in their depths. "I'm not going to let you take advantage of his good will. You have two legs, they aren't broken. Neither are your arms. Believe it or not, you can get something for yourself for once."

Head whipping back to face West, Gilbert stared at his brother for a moment, before his expression tightened in visible anger, rage sparking in his eyes. In one swift moment, he was on his feet, jabbing a single finger into West's chest. Despite the fact there was no force to the movement, the larger man still took a step back, surprise breaking through the previously cold nothing that had been in his blue eyes. "Cool the fuck off," Gilbert snarled as he backed West to the wall, "before you say something you'll regret. I'm starting to think I need to teach you where you belong."

West, to his credit, didn't flinch at the harsh tone. For a moment, panic flickered in Gilbert's mind: was he losing his touch to scare people? Abruptly he shook the notion away; he had simply known West for too long to scare him that easily. In fact, the show of temper seemed to only further piss off Ludwig: anger now danced in the cool depths of his eyes, as well as the Prussian's.

A few heartbeats passed of complete silence, before Ludwig spoke, grinding out each word. "I think _you_ need to remember where _you_ belong," the words were incredibly cruel to the albino, who had been dissolved many years prior, but he wasn't done yet. "This is _my_ house, it belongs to _me. _You are my _guest_, and right now I'm getting tired of your behavior. Maybe it's time for you to _go home."_

Staring at the blonde, for a few moments, Gilbert couldn't find words. What had been said to him was like a blade right through his heart. Not that he was attached to West or living here or anything like that! No, that wasn't what bothered him so much! Eyes narrowing, Gilbert glared at West for a few moments before he spoke, each word very clear, precise.

"Fuck you." The words were a growl, but as the albino looked away, he wasn't able to hide the flash of pain in his eyes. Hands clenching into fists, he swiftly turned on his heel, turning his back to West, turning his back on this house. "I didn't even like staying here anyway! You're nothing like you used to be, you've grown weak. Pathetic, hell, soon you'll be as weak as America." Reaching the door, Gilbert reached out, grasping the handle. He had been so stupid, letting himself get this vulnerable around someone. Hadn't he already learned that he couldn't trust anyone?

"Happy New Fucking Years, West," Gilbert growled, twisting the door handle around.

"Gilbert~! I…" Feli chose that moment to enter the room, a cold beer in one of his hands, some sort of festive sweets in the other. He was beaming, as usual, Gilbert could tell from the corner of his eyes, but as the sensitive Italian picked up in the tension in the room, that smile became a worried frown as he looked from Ludwig to Gilbert. Well, now he felt even better about himself; he'd managed to upset Feli! He'd just blame West for everything, if he hadn't come to say some stupid thing none of this would have happened!

"Are you going somewhere? Did I take too long? I'm sorry! Please don't go anywhere, we need to spend New Year's together and it is really cold outside and you could get lost and we would never be able to find you because you would blend in with the snow and you still need to drink your beer and I have sweets for you and I would miss you and it wouldn't be a very happy New Year's!" Wailing now, tears springing up into his eyes, Feli launched himself at Gilbert, clinging to his arm, looking up at Gilbert with pleading, tear filled eyes.

Despair plunged through Gilbert when he saw those pleading eyes, though the only change in his expression was the tightening of his frown, turning it into a scowl. "The awesome me has other plans. Besides, spending New Year's here? It couldn't get any lamer than that! You have nothing going on here!" Rolling his eyes, Gilbert forced a chuckle, and patted the top of Feli's head. "However, I will wish you a Happy New Year's," giving him a slightly distant smile, Gilbert freed himself from the clinging Italian, setting him down on the couch.

Reaching for the door, he heard a heavy sigh.

"Bruder, wait…" West said, speaking over Feli's whimpering. "Es tut mir lied. Stay here, bitte. It's cold out, and you aren't even wearing a jacket…" He took a hesitant step forward, toward Gilbert.

A sarcastic smirk flashed across Gilbert's face now, and he slowly turned back to face West, crossing his arms. He hadn't wanted to get back into this with the gentle Feli around, but hey, he wasn't going to complain if West wanted to play this game. "You seem so concerned," He sneered, though he didn't take a step toward the blonde. "The inside of this house is colder than the outside is, so why don't we just cut the half-assed apologies? Trying to cover up the truth, how pathetic of you! Turning more and more into America it seems."

"Bruder! Listen to me," West started, panic coloring his usually certain voice. His blue eyes were wide, but at this point, Gilbert couldn't care less.

"I said to stuff it!" Gilbert snarled, turning his back to West for the last time, and wrenching open the door. The weather had only deteriorated outside, the wind blowing thick snow and ice pellets across the land, while the ground was slick with snow that had melted earlier in the day and refroze when the temperature got below freezing. His common sense was telling him to bundle up, but Gilbert ignored it.

Without looking back, Gilbert stepped outside, letting the wind slam the door shut. For a moment, he listened to the satisfying ring, but the sudden biting cold didn't give him much time to gloat. Holy fuck, it was cold! Shivering to himself, Gilbert looked up into the sky and glared, blaming Rome for this weather. The stupid man always loved messing with him; well, he assumed it was Rome and not Germania. Germania didn't have this sense of humor…or any, really. West was just like him.

West was just like Germania, he was nothing like the ancient warrior. Did he belong anywhere? He had no true family; he wasn't even a country anymore. Glancing over his shoulder at the house he had just left, Gilbert shook his head. Francis and Antonio had dates tonight. He was the only one who was alone really…

All of a sudden, he knew where he was going to go. He would take West's advice: he was going to go where he belonged. A bitter smirk flashed across his face now (the cold had made him feel somewhat numb inside and out it seemed), and without a second thought, Gilbert set off toward where he supposedly belonged.

With the fierce wind and freshly falling snow, any prints he had made were quickly swept away. It was as if he had never existed: finding him would be impossible. And in this weather, even nations could fall victim to the cold.

He supposed that was doubly true for ex-nations.


	2. Part Two

The wind had gotten worse: before it had been merely howling, and now it was nothing short of screeching. Snow clung to the t-shirt of the albino, his jeans and shoes were completely soaked through. Despite the flurry though, he felt no cold. In fact, the snow, it seemed to be almost…warm.

Some part of him recognized the fact that this was not a good thing, for he could feel his body shivering; hear his teeth clattering as his mind sought after any possible way to get warm, but for the moment he simply didn't care. Drawing in a deep breath, Gilbert released it in a sigh, wiping the snow away from his eyes. He was almost there…he was almost there…it had taken so long, but he was finally almost there. He was almost where he belonged.

A shudder racked his body now; he could feel his knees threatening to buckle. He had already fallen a few times, and he was finding getting up just kept getting harder and harder. The snow was so warm, and he was so tired…all he really wanted to do now was curl up in it and fall asleep until whenever it was warm again. He couldn't do that though: he wasn't _there_ yet.

Voices were whispering to him, though he couldn't make out what they were saying in his numbed state. Vaguely, he wondered if they were the voices of his fallen people. A pang went through him at that thought, though he shoved the feeling away. He'd much rather be numb, than have to deal with those thoughts, he guessed. He didn't know anymore, part of him wasn't even sure if he was walking in the right direction. It told him to turn around, to go back to West and Feli and to stop being so foolish. He was going to die out here if he didn't get somewhere warm. He ignored this voice though: his heart told him he was going in the right direction, and that was all the prompting he needed.

Stumbling, Gilbert staggered a few steps, before he fell once again. This time though, something caught his fall. Cold stone met his face, and if he had been able to feel at that point, he would have felt the skin on his cheek tear as it encountered the frozen stone. Leaning against the building for a few moments, Gilbert slowly raised his shaking hands, for a moment observing their odd (somewhat blue tinged) color, before placing them on the stone. His hands didn't travel far before they encountered a missing piece in the wall that had caught him. Slowly raising his eyes, Gilbert squinted through the snow, looking at the ruins of what once was a truly elegant stronghold.

His breath caught in his throat: he had finally arrived. Shoulders shaking with more than cold, Gilbert slowly pushed himself up off the building, staring up at it with pain in those normally cocky red eyes of his. He knew this place. He knew exactly where he was now. Shuddering, he let out a shaky breath, and slowly turned around, leaning up against the building (which in the very least gave him protection from the wind), desperately searching for something else, for something whole.

All around him though, he only saw ruins. Where the buildings had once stood tall and proud, now laid bricks and degenerating structures, the harsh weather pushing them even further toward decomposition. Eyes wide, the albino stared at the buildings for a few more heartbeats, before tears started to roll down his cheeks: not that he was aware of those though.

"This is where I belong," He whispered to himself as he stared at the ruins. "This is all I am. Just another name in a book, are you happy now West? I went where I belonged: I'm home." Closing his eyes, Gilbert forced himself to look away from the buildings, though his back was still against the building that had allowed him to win so many battles. "I'm sorry," He whispered, though he wasn't quite sure who he was talking to. At this point, he really didn't care. "I'm sorry. I made promises, and I never fulfilled them. I'm sorry. Please forgive me…if there was anything I could do to fix this, I would do it. I—" He cut himself off with a strangled sound as he fought back a sob.

It had been so long since he had been here, amidst the ruins of his life. He hadn't forgotten though, he would never be able to forget who he had been. Who he was today…it was nothing compared to the person he once was. Powerful, unstoppable…he had been everything and more.

Slowly, Gilbert slid down until he was sitting down against the wall, burying his face in his knees. He had been living with West for too long, it seemed. He wasn't even a nation anymore, what was his purpose in the world? Sure, he was East Germany now, but hell, West could take care of everything on his own. There was no real purpose for his life. Maybe he should stay out here, with the ruins, and let himself become just another chapter in a book…maybe not even a chapter. A brief mentioning was all he could really hope for now. Man, he was pathetic. So…so…pathetic, he thought, as he slid down further. It was warm down here, he thought blearily, and it seemed he couldn't open his eyes. Why would he want to though? All he could see were remnants of his past…crying…begging…

"Da! This is a good New Years! Even though it isn't technically New Years in Mother Russia, I thought I would come here for the party! And look at what I found!" A voice called out cheerily.

Oh no.

Immediately, Gilbert jumped to his feet, forcing his stiff muscles to work, his eyes wide as they stared into the violet of Russia's. He had been free from Russia for a while now, but the albino still absolutely hated the other man. And, although he wouldn't admit it, there was a portion of him that feared the large man.

"Did Germany finally get tired of you and your pathetic behavior?" A 'tsk' sound came from the other man, and he slowly shook his head. "Didn't I tell you this would happen? You have no place in this world, aside from with me. Only I can accept you for how you are. See? I wasn't wrong! You have no home, aside from here in the ruins of your home. You should come home with me, da! Become on with Mother Russia!" Ivan said, grinning at the other man, bouncing up and down, clutching his sink pipe in both hands.

Gilbert didn't know where he found the ability to speak, but as he stared into those violet eyes, _hatred_ scorched through him, warming even the coldest parts of his soul. Drawing in a deep breath, Gilbert clenched his hands into fists, raising his shoulders to their full height. He wasn't afraid to glare at this man, if he was going to die, then so be it, at this point he didn't fucking care.

"No. Fucking. Way." He spat, carefully pronouncing each word, taking immense satisfaction when he saw surprise flash in Ivan's eyes. Taking a step forward, he stood toe to toe with the other. "You can go take your so called charity and stuff it up your fucking ass. You son of bitch, go back to hell."

For a moment, there was silence between the two. All of a sudden though, Ivan laughed. He was honestly amused by what the Prussian had said! Offended, Gilbert crossed his arms, his fury rimmed eyes narrowing further as he tried to figure out exactly what he had said that was so funny.

"Someday, that mouth is going to get you in trouble," Ivan said cheerily, smiling ever so innocently at Gilbert. "You will become one with Mother Russia." Darkness suddenly overtook Ivan's features, making Gilbert step back in a rather startled manner. "You all will become one with Mother Russia. The Mother is hungry, and she must be fed." And as abruptly as his expression had darkened, it cleared.

"You are so fucked up…" Gilbert whispered, staring at Ivan with wide eyes. The intense mood swings were the one thing he hadn't gotten used to in his time with Ivan, he didn't know how Toris was able to put up with it. "We will not become one with Mother Russia though. We'll all fight you until the end. You may take a few of us," Gilbert growled, "but you will never take all of us. Hell, you can't even find Canada half the time!"

"Find who?" Ivan asked, a scowl forming on his features. "You're starting to annoy me, you are lucky I'm in a good mood today. I don't want to deal with a rebellious toy; I came here for a party after all! I'll break you later."

"You will not." Gilbert snarled, some sort of stupidity guiding his actions as he challenged Russia. Did he want to die? Well, he wasn't quite certain at this point…maybe he'd better stop thinking before he made an even larger fool of himself. Hell, he should probably stop speaking too, before he got himself in even more trouble.

"Da, I will. And it will be glorious," Ivan said with a smile on his face, though his eyes had gone cold. "You will scream this time, scream for me to stop. I will not stop though. I didn't break you well enough the first time you stayed with me, I was too nice to you. When I get you back though," the large man reached out now, his gloved hand tilting Gilbert's head up, "you will break. You will become _mine,_ because only _I_ can have you. You belong to _me._" All of a sudden, Ivan was gripping his chin tightly, before he shoved the other back.

Feeling as though he needed a good shower and to rub boiling water on where he was touched, Gilbert slammed back into the wall, his breath escaping him in a gasp. For a moment, he fought to breathe, unable to do anything more than stare into those horrifying violet eyes.

"Hah…you're…getting better at telling jokes…" Gilbert wheezed out, refusing to show how frightened he really was. "You know what though? You're still as pathetic as you used to be. You're still that hopeless child, looking for some sort of sick satisfaction." Slowly, (painfully), Gilbert pushed himself off the wall, standing tall, though internally he was thinking about how he was going to die. "I'm surprised you even got out of there, I know General Winter doesn't like letting you leave." A smirk flashed across Gilbert's face when he saw how Russia shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh? He doesn't know you're gone, does he? I suppose I should go tell him that not only are you gone, you're going simply because you want to party. There is no hidden agenda. He'll be so pleased." Grinning now, Gilbert took a step in some odd direction.

"Nyett!" Ivan's panicked voice called.

And the next thing Gilbert knew, he felt the sink pipe connecting with the back of his head, and saw (in slow motion) the ground as it rose to meet his face. Above him, he could vaguely make out what Ivan was saying, though it was getting dark…

"I'll come back for you later, da! If you're still alive that is! I'm off to find Toryshka now! Bye-bye!" Giving a laugh, Gilbert shifted ever so slightly, watching the other man walk away.

He wanted to speak, but when he made an attempt to, he found that he couldn't find his voice. For a moment, he thought about this, also wondering why he felt so…_fuzzy._ As if he wasn't there. Drawing in a deep breath, a slight smile graced Gilbert's face as his eyes closed, burrowing into the snow.

The blackout came then.


	3. Part Three

There was something so comfortable about simply laying there. Eyes shut, the albino gave a stretch, letting the warmth settle over him like a blanket, a soft, content sort of sigh escaping him. It was as though he was sleeping on brand new mattress, one that was perfectly formatted for him. Rolling onto his side, Gilbert slowly cracked his eyes open, a sleepy look to him as he looked around, for the moment not comprehending everything that had happened, or the fact he couldn't see _anything._

Well, that wasn't exactly true. All around him, he could see white (a sort of hazy, almost glowing white), and make out vague shapes in the distance. Where there should have been buildings though, there was nothing. No stronghold that had helped him win so many wars, no crumbling remains that had marked where the families had once lived…there was nothing out here but that chilling white (that had seemed so comforting just a few moments before).

Feeling goose bumps break out across his body, Gilbert quickly sat all the way up, staring down in horror when he saw that white stuff clinging to his body. Desperately shaking his arm, a sort of panic came over the man when he saw it wasn't coming off. He didn't know what this stuff was, he didn't know where he was, and he was a sitting duck if anyone hostile came by!

"I refuse to sit here and let something take me!" He roared, eyes glinting in his panic, moving as if to jump to his feet.

He didn't move. Letting out a strangled sound, Gilbert looked down at his legs, eyes widening when he saw they were completely covered in that white mist. Staring at this in complete horror, Gilbert thrashed, trying to get some sort of movement in his legs. "No, no! I can't move my legs? No! I can't get stuck here, how the hell am I supposed to go home if I can't move? Fuck you, white mist! You messed with the wrong German!" Snarling, Gilbert swung his hand at the white mist, hissing as it cut open his hands, quickly withdrawing them, which curiously enough, stopped bleeding. It seemed as long as he wasn't touching the mist, he couldn't get wounded. Breathing raggedly, Gilbert looked around him. Nothing had changed. There was nobody here. Hell, there was nothing here at all! "Wh…where am I?" He asked the air, a shudder racking his body. This place wasn't natural…

All of a sudden, it hit him.

"Fuck…no…it can't be true…!" Shaking slightly, Gilbert clenched his hands into fists, breathing a bit shaky. "No! He couldn't have finally killed me! I refuse to die! Especially in such a pathetic way! I'm not giving that son of a bitch those gloating rights!" Panting now, Gilbert ripped at the white mist restraining his legs, ignoring the searing pain as his hands were cut open once again, panic numbing his body to the pain.

"Why do you think that you'll be able to free yourself this time, when you failed earlier?" A voice inquired with a mild stir of curiosity in the tone. Freezing, Gilbert's head whipped around, his hands ceasing in their mad tearing, retreating from the mist. "Good, you've stopped. You weren't going to get rid of those restraints anyway." There was a touch of pride in the voice now, as well as cold amusement. It seemed to find the fact he was stuck here funny! Scowling now, Gilbert strained his eyes, looking for some sort of owner to the voice.

"Why don't you show yourself, and we can have a one on one conversation?" Gilbert growled, those stunning garnet eyes of his narrowed in challenge. And then the speaker had the audacity to _laugh_.

"Oh, Prussia, you haven't changed very much," it said, trailing off in a chuckle. "We need to have a talk though, and I can't trust you not to run off." Abruptly serious, the albino couldn't help but give a shiver, a cold chill suddenly spreading through him.

"Why would I talk to you? In case you haven't noticed, I have my own problems. I have no desire to hear your life story," Gilbert sneered, his attention having returned to the restraints on his legs. Maybe if he wiggled his hips…

All of a sudden, he was on the ground, the white mist restraining his upper torso, leaving only his neck and head bare. Eyes widening in surprise, Gilbert gave a shout of surprise, though since he wasn't able to move anything now, he couldn't do much else. "What the hell is this?" He called out to the voice, anger covering the massive amount of fear he felt: he wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything! "Let me go!" He yelled, chest heaving, "I refuse to stay here! I refuse to be dead! I dare you to do your worst, but I will get home one way or another! Even if I have to track you down and kill you with my bare hands!" Snarling, Gilbert's eyes narrowed, expression dark with rage, as he looked for his tormenter. If they expected him to break under this, they had another thing coming.

"Shut up already," the voice said with a sigh. For some reason, Gilbert got the mental image of someone face palming, perhaps questioning his judgment on something. "For one thing, you aren't dead, yet. Though if you continue to annoy me I might just let the restraints go and watch you run to Hell, since I get the feeling you'd be one to suffer its compulsion, rather than the sweet call of Heaven. This is limbo, you idiot, and without me keeping you still, you'd never get the chance to go back home."

Limbo…?  
>Abruptly, Gilbert stopped struggling, though his body trembled as it pushed against the restraints. "I'm in limbo?" He asked stupidly, before shaking his head. "He didn't kill me! Hah, I'll have to rub it into his face when I get out of here, at the next world meeting anyway!" Gleefully cackling, Gilbert gave a grin to the sky, completely overlooking the fact he wasn't out of danger yet.<p>

"…And here I was thinking you possessed some form of intelligence," the voice said with a sigh. "What home are you talking about returning to, Prussia? Are you referring to back with your brother and the Italy twin? If I recall, that doesn't seem like much of a home, does it?"

Silent, Gilbert looked away from the direction he was assuming the voice was coming from, refusing to agree with the stranger. How could it know this though? The sleepless nights Gilbert had spent in the basement, wondering if there was truly a place for him in this world. Even the fight today, nobody should know about that aside from the people who participated. He felt strangely violated by the voice knowing this fact, it made him angry. Before he could speak though, the voice went on.

"Or do you mean the ruins you were in before Russia found you? If you refer to that as your home, I'd have to say there is something wrong with you. Granted, you did go out in this weather without as much as a jacket. That isn't your place either, Prussia." The voice had gentled now, until it was almost reassuring him.

"…Of course it is my place," Gilbert mumbled, closing his eyes in a futile way to try and shut out the voice. "I don't belong anywhere else. Everyone has someone, and I am the one left alone. Just the way it is supposed to be! The world goes on and forgets about me, because all that I was is no more!" He was shouting at the voice now, but his eyes still remained squeezed shut, refusing to accept the reality of his words. "Everyone has someone!" He whispered this time, voice echoing in the vast emptiness of Limbo.

"You're wrong," the voice said quite clearly, scoffing at him even. "You need to learn to look past your nose, Prussia. Not everyone is as happy as they seem to be." A touch of irritation had entered the voice now. "That is the only reason I brought you here and restrained you, if you were gone, then that person would be truly miserable. And I'm not going to do that. So get off your pathetic 'woe is me' stint, and figure out who I am talking about. Last time I checked, you didn't wait for anyone. I didn't think Ivan broke you that much."

"He didn't break me!" Gilbert argued, though his voice was considerably smaller than it had been a few moments ago. After being abused in every possible manner for a countless amount of years, it was only normal to have a few scars from it, right? Not that Gilbert would ever admit to those scars. "I don't know who you are talking about, why the hell would I even care anyway? Love is for the weak! I am not weak!"

"Who ever said anything about love?" The voice asked now, rich amusement flowing through it. "I'm simply talking about companionship, a place to call home. You were the one who brought love into the mix, Prussia. And you know exactly who I am talking about. Now we don't have much more time, this was your one freebie: next time you die, it's the end. You know what you must do, go out and do it. Also, stop being so pathetic."

"I'm not path—"Before he could even finish his sentence, Gilbert blacked out…

He woke to a chorus of "oh no" and "why does he have to be so stupid?" Groaning, Gilbert shifted slightly, incredibly aware of the pounding ache in the back of his head. There was a gasp, when a familiar voice whispered "Gilbert! You are alive! It was iffy there for a bit, I was frightened he had finally killed you or you had gotten too cold or something!" Cracking open his eyes, the world swam in and out of focus for a moment, though he was dimly aware of a familiar form crouching over him, while the smell of a fire filled his nose. He was inside one of the deteriorating shelters he knew subconsciously, that was the only way a fire would be able to survive.

"Toris?" He asked groggily, lightly gripping the jacket that had been placed over him, snuggling into it. He was warm again, but this warm wasn't the bad kind. The fact he was shivering to make up for lost heat was a good sign, though perhaps the best sign of all was the fact he was still alive.

"What are you doing out here, Gilbert? You scared me half to death when I saw you! I thought you were going to die! If this was some prank, I swear, it wasn't a very good one! I tried to call your brother, but the cell reception is crap, and before I could even hit send I lost all of my bars!" Panic was making Toris' voice rise slightly, as his hands busily rearranged the jacket on Gilbert, or fiddled with the fire. "I don't even know how you are still alive, I found you half buried in the snow! Oh, if I hadn't found you…you…!" Abruptly Toris resumed messing with the fire.

Slowly sitting up, Gilbert carefully wiggled his fingers and toes, eyes widening when he saw they were still in perfect condition. He was alive, without even the slightest indication of having been half frozen. The only reminder he had of his incident was the dull throb in the back of his head. "I'm alive…" He said in a breathy whisper, looking up at the sky, a slight grin flickering over his features. "Hahah! I am too awesome for even death!" Laughing now, Gilbert shrugged off the coat, getting to his feet.

"Gilbert! Lay back down! You shouldn't be moving!" Toris ordered, whipping around, his green eyes wide with worry, wringing his hands nervously. Toris didn't have the power to force Gilbert to do anything, and the Prussian was going to exploit that fact.

"Toris, go find Ivan. You two have a party to go to, and if he arrives without you, you'll get in trouble," the Prussian said with a growl, crossing his arms against his chest, staring down the other man.

Toris couldn't argue with that fact, so he simply looked at the ground, unable to meet Gilbert's eyes. "I have to make sure you're alright." He mumbled, though Gilbert saw that he was already working to put out the fire. Reaching forward, the albino gently rumpled his hair, reassuring the other man. "Gilbert, promise me you're going to go home?" Toris asked quietly, not wanting his friend to freeze out here.

"Yeah, of course I'm going home," Gilbert said with a grin. He could hear the soft sound of a melody being played, luring him away from these ruins of the past. Home…well; it was worth a shot, right? Besides, he owed whoever had decided to save his ass, he couldn't ignore that. Otherwise he would probably be smote, and in honesty, that wasn't his idea of a good day. Not to mention it would be a rather shitty day to start the New Year.

Toris, oblivious to the fact Gilbert wasn't planning on returning to Ludwig's, gave the other man a slightly stressed out smile, having finished putting out the fire. "Good, be careful, alright? Um, I'll have to get going now. See you around, Happy New Year whenever it comes!" Toris said quickly, before scurrying out of the abandoned shelter.

Watching the other man leave, Gilbert took a deep breath, a smile touching his expression for the first time since the fight. He could still hear the melody calling out to him, guiding his footsteps toward the place he hopefully could finally call home. For a moment, Gilbert simply stood there, observing his fallen kingdom. And then, he took a step forward.

He knew where he needed to go now. He only hoped he wasn't too late to steal the first kiss of the New Year.

That thought made him laugh.

A/N: So you've reached the end of the third chapter, I'm glad! c: I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who reads my stuff, especially if you review it. 3 Logging on and seeing that I have new emails from you guys really makes my day, and gives me encouragement to start writing the next chapter. Anyway, that's enough from me. ^^; Anyway, your patience is going to be rewarded soon!

-TLS


	4. End

The walk didn't seem half bad this time, perhaps it was the fact that there was a skip in the albino's step that made everything a bit brighter, or maybe it was the sort of grin that threatened to pull into a full grin that put him in a good mood. Hell, maybe the fact he had stopped snowing and he wasn't dead that made him want to laugh! He didn't know, and for the moment, he wasn't going to question why he was in such a good mood. If he strained his eyes, he could see lights in the distance: good, that meant someone was home.

Not that he had expected the prissy aristocrat to be out and about. The man was incredibly reclusive, and it had only gotten worse since his wife had left him. Gilbert hadn't seen Specs in quite a while now. It was funny; he thought absently as he slowed to a walk, that he just realized this. Usually he was all over the other, purposely trying to annoy the crap out of him, but ever since coming back from Russia's, he…

Alright, he was going to be honest with himself today. Ever since coming back from Russia's, he hadn't really come out of the basement. It was only recently he started to explore West's house. Being out in the open like that was frightening, not to mention he was expecting to wake up any day now, and find that this freedom had been nothing more than a dream. That thought made him shudder, goose bumps breaking out across his skin again, and he wrapped his arms around himself protectively.

Sighing to himself, the Prussian shook his head slightly, mentally regretting ruining his good mood. What was he doing here anyway? Specs would probably throw him out too, or make some sort of biting comment. And at the moment, he wasn't quite certain he could deal with any more comments. Looking down at the snow, Gilbert took a step backwards, smearing his prints. There was a quiet outside, as every family waited for the New Year to come around, huddled in front of their TV. Lovers waited together, ready for the first everything of the New Year, he could easily guess what West and Feli would be doing if they weren't overly worried about him. Shivering slightly, Gilbert raised his gaze to the house that he had been so determined to reach a few moments ago.

He wasn't the only one alone at this time, he thought. Granted, Specs could have his ex over to spend the New Year with, but for some reason, he couldn't see the dark haired man putting himself into that awkward of a situation. Scowling slightly, Gilbert strode forward again, walking up to the window of the house and peering inside.

He didn't see anyone at the moment, oh wait there was some movement…shifting slightly, the albino ran over to the other window and peered in, watching as Specs made himself a cup of coffee. The other man seemed…tired, Gilbert noticed in a curious manner. As though his spirit was drained for some odd reason, though Gilbert couldn't fathom why someone would be so down at this time!

Without thinking, he ducked down, hidden from sight if Specs decided to look out the window, and scooped up some snow, forming it into a snowball, grinning once more. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore, but that didn't matter, he couldn't feel a lot of things actually. Packing the snow together, Gilbert dashed out front again, and hurled the snowball, listening to the satisfying 'thud' as it hit a window.

…No answer. No response, Specs didn't even look out the window. Giving a huff, Gilbert scooped up more snow, packing it firmly. Carefully aiming, he chucked it at the door this time, hitting it square in the middle. The resulting 'thump' had to be loud enough to get Spec's attention, he reasoned, though part of his spirit was starting to falter. Questions were starting to plague the albino—this is why he hated thinking so much! Crossing his arms, Gilbert watched as the door opened now, an angry Austrian poking his head out from inside.

"Aren't you a little…oh, it's you," Roderich said, eyeing the Prussian suspiciously. "Aren't you a little old to be throwing snowballs? I know you may have the mentality of a child, but that doesn't mean you have to always act on it. I was busy." The man said with a huff, though he didn't close the door. Rather, he came out and stood on the porch, arms crossed, body language mirroring Gilbert's.

"Careful Specs, you might get your panties in a bunch if you try to understand my logic," Gilbert replied smoothly, casually tilting his head to the side, asking if that was the only insult Roderich could think of. On the outside, he was challenging the other, but internally he couldn't help but notice a few things. The small curve to Spec's mouth, for instance, and the fact he hadn't just gone back inside as soon as he had realize who his visitor was. The fact that a bit of light had entered those violet eyes: subconsciously, Gilbert saw all of this.

"Are we seriously back on this topic? I assure you that I do not wear panties, and if I did, they wouldn't be in a bunch," the Austrian said with a huff, brushing the snow off his door with a somewhat irritated expression. "Why are you here, anyway? Isn't Francis or Antonio throwing some sort of party for the New Years? I doubt Ludwig would throw you out without knowing where you were going."

"He did not throw me out!" Gilbert argued, "I left of my own willpower! I just didn't want to be where I wasn't welcomed anymore." He looked away now, the argument ringing in his ears, resisting the urge to flinch as he heard the sharp words. "And trust me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be here either." Gilbert growled, missing the fact Roderich flinched when he heard those words.

"I very much doubt that you would leave without a reason," Roderich said somewhat flatly. "Antonio and Francis must have dates tonight, and now you're looking for someone to feed you? How typical, Gilbert, always looking for a free hand out." A sigh escaped the man now, as he tightened the arms crossed against his chest.

Head snapping back up, Gilbert flashed the other man a slight glare. Watching as Roderich turned around to go back inside, Gilbert reached down and picked up some more snow, packing it quickly, and nailing the other square in the back. Oh, he was so dead now, but it was going to be worth it. Before the other man even had a chance to turn around, Gilbert dove into the nearest bush. "Protect yourself!" He yelled, desperately scraping at the snow and forming it into a snowball.

"GILBERT!" The Austrian yelled, whirling around, his violet eyes absolutely blazing with anger.

"I'm so dead now!" Gilbert said, laughing, as he poked his head out of the bush, chucking another snowball at the Austrian, though the other man dodged it this time. "Come on Specs! Get that stick out of your ass and lighten up for once!" He said, oblivious to the fact he was starting to shiver somewhat violently as his body protested being out in the cold for so long.

"I-I don't have a stick up my ass!" Roderich stammered, a blush quickly coloring his cheeks. He wasn't as oblivious to the cold as the Prussian was though, and scowling slightly, he shook his head. "I just don't have any desire to get hypothermia by standing out in this ridiculous weather. And since you'd more than likely freeze to death if I sent you home, which would make Ludwig mad at me, I guess I have no choice but to invite you inside."

Huffing, Gilbert scowled at the other man, but decided that he liked having use of his hands. Fully standing up, he ambled up to the porch, flashing a cocky grin at the other man, right before he found a handful of snow slammed into it. Sputtering, he staggered backwards, sneezing as it got up his nose. "Wh-what the hell?" He managed, between the sneezes.

Roderich had already gone inside at this point though, but Gilbert was willing to bet the other was smirking. Scowling, he tromped inside, a huff escaping him. Secretly though, he loved the Austrian's spirit, and the fact he hadn't seen the attack coming. And as he entered the house, he couldn't help but feel at home here, for some odd reason. "Yo, Specs! You have any beer?" The albino called up the stairs, before making his way into the kitchen…there was a smell in the house…he knew that smell…

Hell yeah! Sitting on the counter was freshly made Sachertorte! Grinning widely, Gilbert quickly snagged a piece, and was in the middle of devouring it when the dark haired Austrian came in, giving the albino a somewhat irritated scowl. "Is that all you come here for, beer and cake?" He asked with a sigh, before handing the albino one of the beers he (secretly kept just in case Gilbert showed up) had in his fridge, taking a few moments so it seemed as though he had to search for one.

"I come here for the marvelous company of course!" Gilbert argued, taking the beer and chasing down his cake with it, smirking as he saw a blush flash across the Austrian's face, a flustered look flickering into his eyes. It was honestly quite adorable, which was the exact reason why Gilbert did it: plus he just enjoyed picking on the other man. "Besides, if I didn't visit, who would?" He asked with a scoff, rolling his brilliant red eyes. "You're kind of a loner, Specs. Maybe you should get your head examined or something."

"You're one to talk, Gilbert." Roderich said dryly, shaking his head. "You though, you I worry about. What is going through your head when you go outside in a blizzard without so much as a coat on?" He huffed, rolling his eyes, before cleaning his glasses.

"I'm pretty sure I died or something," Gilbert mused, missing the fact Roderich went a whole shade paler, and nearly dropped his glasses. "Some voice was telling me about how I was in limbo and other shit like that. I dunno, I didn't pay much attention to it. Probably wasn't that important."

"You…you…" Roderich sputtered, before he shook his head, unable to say anything to that. "We're going to miss the countdown," he concluded lamely, putting his glasses back on and scurrying into his living room, turning on the rarely used TV.

Wondering where the fire was, Gilbert slowly ambled after the other, finishing his beer and tossing the empty can into the sink. Taking a seat on the couch, he found himself grinning, and slung an arm around Roderich's shoulders, counting down as crowd on TV did.

"One…" Roderich said softly, joining in at the last moment. "Happy New Year, Gilbert." He said, offering the other a smile. Returning the smile, Gilbert leaned in and swiftly pressed his lips against Roderich's, ignoring the surprised sound the other man made. Gently, he rested one of his palms against the Austrian's cheek, the other arm wrapping around his waist, pulling him closer, so he was basically sitting on the Prussian's lap. Outside, he could hear the banging as pots were hit with wooden spoons, as the wild shouting of "Happy New Year!" but all he was focused on, was the Austrian who had melted into his arms and was kissing him back.

Pulling back after a few more moments, Gilbert wrapped both of his arms around the Austrian, cuddling him against his chest. "Happy New Year," he said somewhat breathlessly, smiling to himself as he felt Roderich shyly wrap his arms around the albino, resting his head against his chest.

"Wh…what was that?" Roderich said after a few moments, almost hesitantly. "Why did you suddenly kiss me like that?" A sudden indignant tone flickered into the Austrian's voice, as he shoved at Gilbert's chest half-heartedly, trying to pull away (though he didn't want to). "Let me guess, it was some sort of joke to you. Trying to get me to think you actually care about someone other than yourself. Well played, Gilbert. Well played," Roderich said, ending with a hefty sigh.

"Specs, shut up." Gilbert growled, tired of his complaining. "I learned something else when I was half dead. I learned that you are pathetically alone, and you seem to be waiting for some idiot to come knocking on your door." He felt the other man wince slightly in his arms, and shove lightly against him, but Gilbert wasn't done, and he wasn't about to let go. "And then I realized that I'm also pathetically alone. But I sure as hell wasn't going to knock on your door." Growling, Gilbert seized the Austrian's lips in another kiss. "However, I am going to seize your heart. You had your chance to find someone else, Specs, I'm done waiting. I will win that heart of yours, and once I have it, I will not let it go."

There were a few heartbeats of silence now, before Roderich spoke, his arms tightening around Gilbert. "You stupid albino," he said breathlessly, "you already have my heart. Why else would I let you in tonight?" He asked, a fond smile tugging the corners of his mouth.

"Because you have obviously invoked the wrath of West before, and you—"Gilbert was suddenly cut off by a pair of lips pressing against his own. Making a surprised sound, Gilbert swiftly returned the kiss, savoring the softness.

This New Year was going to be alright.


	5. Bonus!

…Of course, since the Christmas decorations were still up (Specs hadn't gotten time to take them down) Gilbert supposed that he could have a bit of fun with the other man. In fact, he was sure he could have _a lot_ of fun with the other. Oh, it was so unwise to sleep in the same house together!

Letting out a quiet 'kesesese,' Gilbert took a step back and admired his handwork, literally patting himself on the back after doing so. It was about two in the morning, and dear old Specs had fallen asleep on the couch again, while watching a movie. Good will and good spirit hadn't lasted long in the albino, so when he had seen the box of Christmas decorations just sitting there…

Lights wrapped around the usually proper Austrian, a little garland hat making a home on the top of his head. From the jacket the other was always in, he had put little ornaments where the buttons were supposed to go, as well as more garland. Somewhere, Gilbert had located a Santa hat, which he had generously thought about placing on Spec's head…but that was before he had located the reindeer antlers: it wasn't hard to guess which one he had seized.

On top of the reindeer antlers he had hung mistletoe, just out of sight. And after placing a little red ball on the very tip of the Austrian's nose (and taking pictures with his phone, which he sent to everyone in his address book), Gilbert was ready. Creeping into the bathroom, he grabbed a can of shaving cream (he had no idea Specs was manly enough to use it), and returned to his beloved Austrian, a smirk steadily growing on his face. He was going to have to run like hell when he was done. Was it worth it? Hell yes. Reaching out, Gilbert gently applied a snowy white beard of shaving cream, placing a gentle kiss to Spec's lips before covering them as well.

Stepping back, Gilbert gave a sound of approval. Now, all he had to do was wake up the other man…a sudden grin flickered across his face. Oh, he knew exactly how he was going to wake him up. There was one thing he simply wasn't allowed to touch, and by Gott, he was going to touch it. Swiftly scurrying out of the living room, Gilbert made his way into the music room, barely holding back his laughter.

Dramatically grabbing a cape, he sat down on the piano bench, and with as much drama as he could manage, started to slam the keys, making a mockery of the music he had heard Specs play over the years. He hadn't even gotten through the first part, before he heard a SLAM as someone tripped over something…lights perhaps?

"GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT!" The shout rang through the house, and suddenly, the albino couldn't help himself. Laughing to himself (almost hard enough to cry), he pounded a few more keys for good measure, calling over his shoulder.

"Problem?"

"YOUR ASS IS MINE! YOU…YOU…" It seemed as though the Austrian was still tangled up in the cords, he hadn't come to destroy the albino yet. Breaking out in another wave of laughter, Gilbert bounded up from the piano, clutching his sides.

"Actually, Specs, I believe it's the other way around!" He said with a wink, grin widening as he saw the other man instantly flush and sputter, unable to respond to that. "I've been a pretty bad guest, Specs, you should come punish me~" Gilbert said, unable to stop himself from laughing again.

"Y-y..you…I DON'T HAVE WORDS FOR YOU!" Roderich yelled, flushing even darker at the implications in the Prussian's words. "Now get me out of this mess! I swear Gilbert, if this ends up spreading around…!"

"You mean like this?" Gilbert asked, hitting the send button on his phone, grinning still. There was no way in hell he was getting near the Austrian right now—for some reason he was seriously doubting that the voice would be willing to save him from _this_ sort of demise. "Oops, well, the awesome me already sent it! It can be your Christmas card Specs!" He said, cackling.

"My Christmas card is going to be something like me kicking your ass for this!" Specs growled, freeing one of his hands and quickly working to undo the rest of the mess. "And then me shoving you out into the wilderness from the back of a car."

"Aww, what's the matter Specs? You seem to have forgotten that you don't use a foot for that sort of thing!" Oh shit, Gilbert thought. The Austrian had gotten himself loose; it was time to run like Forest Gump. Whipping around, Gilbert dove on the top of Spec's piano, knowing he wouldn't hurt it. No matter how pissed he was.

"Stop molesting my piano!" Roderich shouted, fury tightening his expression as he lunged at the other man, grabbing the back of his cape and yanking him off of the piano.

Laughing too hard to put up any sort of defense, Gilbert grabbed the back of Spec's shirt and yanked him down, pressing a heated kiss to his lips. Of course, he got himself hit in the process, and as soon as he pulled back, but it was worth it.

"Oh, no, don't tell me you're getting some sort of sick turn on with this," Roderich growled, flushing deeply from the kiss, as well as the position they were in.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Specs." Gilbert said innocently, batting his eyes at him. "Why do you think _I_ of all people, would get some sort of turn on because of this?"

Narrowly ducking another punch, Gilbert laughed again, taking off his cape and jumping out the window, climbing down the side of the house and jumping into the snow covered grass with a gentle 'thud.' Glancing up at the window, Gilbert gave a cocky grin, before he saw the dark haired Austrian was smirking.

Fuck…he didn't have a key! Eyes widening in alarm, Gilbert stared at the other man, crossing his arms. "Come on Specs! Take a joke!" He called up to the window, but the other man had already gone inside. Letting out a huff, Gilbert went around to the front door, but (not to his surprise) found it locked. Inside, he could hear the Austrian snickering. He found this hilarious! Of course he did, the man had a sick and twisted sense of humor! "Come on Specs! Let me in! It's cold!" He shouted at the door, scowling.

There was no answer from inside the door. Well. If Specs was going to lock him out, he was going to take it to his advantage. Grinning broadly now, Gilbert turned his back to the door, and filled his lungs with air. "IF ANYONE HAS EVER WANTED TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT RODERICH'S SEX LIFE, NOW IS THE TIME TO ASK," Gilbert shouted to the sleeping neighborhood, hearing a mortified gasp from inside the house. "BELIEVE IT OR NOT, RODERICH HERE IS FAIRLY KINKY. YOU SEE, HIS PIANO ISN'T THE ONLY INSTRUMENT HE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY. HE IS QUITE GOOD AT—"

"GOOD GOD GILBERT STOP!" Roderich shouted, throwing open the door, dark red. Abruptly grabbing the albino by the waist, he dragged the other man inside, clapping a hand over his mouth. "You are the biggest pain in the ass I have ever met," he hissed, still holding onto the other, "but mein Gott…if you think what we've done so far is kinky, you haven't had anything yet."

Immediately interested in this conversation, Gilbert struggled against the hold, but Roderich wasn't ready to let him go yet. "In fact, yes, I will punish you." The Austrian growled, before releasing him, and striding off toward the bedroom.

Staring at the other man, Gilbert gave a grin, and affectionately smacked his ass.

God, he loved this man.

A/N: I tried to end this fanfic seriously, I honestly did…but I couldn't control my inner thoughts, especially seeing as PrusAus is my OTP. 3 Anyway, this is just an optional chapter, don't like it don't read it. xD Enjoy! Also, if you guys have any suggestions for what I should do next, feel free to send them!


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